The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the use of three types of adhesive - two-component polyurethane castor oil based resin, urea-formaldehyde and Purbond -in physical (density and moisture content, and thickness swelling at 2 and 24 hours), and mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, and strength modulus in static bending, internal bond) in panels consisting of agglomerated particles of uniform mixture of four species of tropical woods: cedrinho, cordia, ficus and paineira. Moreover, the relationship between the bulk density and internal bond of the materials produced was also evaluated. Based on statistical analyses, the conclusion was made that the best results in terms of physical properties were obtained with the castor oil based adhesive. The materials produced with urea-formaldehyde and Purbond resin showed the best results for the modulus of elasticity in bending, while the ones produced with urea-formaldehyde had the best results regarding the strength modulus in bending. Moreover, compounds made from the Purbond resin had the best results for perpendicular tensile strength to faces. Based on the analysis of variance, the conclusion was made that it is valid to estimate of the tensile strength based on the density of the panels produced with any of the three types of adhesive.
Particleboards; Tropical woods; Waste
